The Fox and the Hound
by SoylentRamen
Summary: When Shigaraki, a young tanuki, is captured by the yakuza and kept as a pet for good luck, his best friend, a young kitsune named Kokkuri, resolves to find and rescue him, no matter how long it takes. This fic is a crossover between the Gugure Kokkuri-san and Durarara! animes, and will be at least vaguely AU for both.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I've had this fic up on AO3 for a couple of months, and figured I should probably share it with the lovely people here, as well. It's is a pretty big departure from my other fics. If you're looking for a Gugukoku shippy fluff trash fic, this is not the story for you. That said, it's a mashup that I find pretty intriguing, so if you're into either Gugukoku or DRRR, I hope you'll find it interesting, as well.

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the young spring leaves, illuminating the ground below, where a young kitsune and tanuki were playing. Chasing each other from shadow to shadow among the trees, they alternated between their human and animal forms. They were alone in these woods, after all, so there was no harm in it. Of course, like all young nature spirits, they had been warned by their elders of the dangers of letting a human see their true form, but things like that didn't matter on days like this. This day was for celebrating the end of a long winter. The tanuki was especially excited to stretch his legs after waking from his hibernation. A warm breeze blew through the glade, carrying with it the scent of cherry blossoms, the scent of new life.

Suddenly, the tanuki stopped his frolicking, turning his nose to the wind. A new aroma was beginning to permeate the air.

"'Raki- _nii_ , what's wrong?" the fox asked, skidding to a halt beside him.

The tanuki shushed the younger spirit and used one arm to pull him protectively behind him. "I smell something… strange," he whispered over his shoulder. "Humans… and metal." Turning on his heel, he made sure to keep his own body between the young fox and whatever was coming. "We should leave. Now."

The kitsune clung to the older spirit, burying his face in the front of the tanuki's kimono. "I'm scared," he whimpered. His pointed fox ears, still visible even in his human form, drooped slightly with his unease.

Patting the fox's silver hair reassuringly, the tanuki forced himself not to let his own fear show. "It'll be all right, Kokkuri- _chan_ ," he whispered, wrapping his arms around the kitsune's small frame before turning him around to head out of the glade. "Just stay with me, and everything will be fine. I'll keep you safe."

"Promise?"

"I promise, now let's go." He gave the fox a gentle push to get him moving.

The two made their way carefully through the wood, doing their best to avoid making sounds or leaving tracks that would attract attention to them. They could hear people approaching through the trees behind them, talking amongst themselves and cutting or breaking anything that got in their way. As the humans neared, the tanuki's sensitive nose picked up a new scent: smoke. It was not the same smoke as a wood fire, but it concerned him enough to pick up the pace, sacrificing a bit of stealth for the increased speed.

"Not much farther now," he whispered to the fox as they hustled through the underbrush. "Home's just over that hill, and then we'll be safe." A moment later, the snap of a branch just behind him froze him in his tracks.

"Look at that, Aozaki- _san_ ," a gravelly voice said a short distance away. "I thought you said no one lived in these woods. That's why we came here to…." The voice died away, leaving listeners to speculate about what it was the men came here to do.

"That was the intelligence I received, Akabayashi- _san_ ," another, deeper voice growled in return.

"And yet, I see children before me, you know?" The one called Akabayashi paused, and the strange smoke smell spread through the trees. "Wait," he continued a moment later, his tone sharpening dangerously. "Not children. Look."

The blood drained from the tanuki's face, and in its place, his veins filled with cold dread. His striped tail was still visible, a mistake he sometimes made when switching between his animal and human forms too quickly. He had to work to keep his hands from shaking. "Kitsune," he whispered to the young fox in front of him, "I need you to run. Run home."

"But… Shigaraki _nii-san_ ," Kokkuri protested, looking up at him with wide, fearful amber eyes.

"Please," the older spirit pleaded. "They've seen my tail, but they may not have noticed you yet. Run home. I'll distract the humans here."

Tears began welling at the corners of the fox's eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. "I'll go get help, and we'll be back here in a minute." Without another word, he returned to his animal form and darted through the trees.

As the younger spirit disappeared into the underbrush, Shigaraki turned around. Maintaining his human form, he pulled his straw hat up over his eyes. Then, he pulled his sake gourd from his sleeve. He was young, but he was still a tanuki after all. He took a drink to calm his nerves and pulled a _shakujo_ out of thin air. The metal rings of the staff clinked against each other as he took up a fighting stance.

"Look at that," the tall, red-haired man said, his lips curling into a vicious smirk. The tanuki recognized his voice as belonging to the one called Akabayashi. "I think he wants to dance, you know?"

"Does he now?" Aozaki appeared to be a large bear of a man with scars covering his face. "I'm not really that into beating up kids."

"Didn't you hear what I said? He's not a kid. He's a tanuki, all right? They're supposed to bring good luck, or wealth, or something." Akabayashi carried a cane, but wielded it like a cudgel, tapping the heavy metal handle against his palm threateningly. Light glinted off the lenses of his glasses as he advanced on Shigaraki. "And anyway, I've always thought gangsters should keep exotic pets."

The word "pet" struck the tanuki like a blow to the gut. He had heard it from his elders before. That was something humans did with animals, where they kept them in cages and never let them see the light of day or breathe fresh air. It sounded like the worst fate he could imagine, and he'd be damned if he just sat there and let it happen to him. With a shout, he sprang from his stance and leapt at Akabayashi. Just before the metal of the _shakujo_ struck him in the face, the man ducked and caught Shigaraki across the shoulder with the handle of his cane. The young tanuki tumbled to the ground with a pained grunt.

"Feisty little thing," Aozaki commented, cracking his knuckles as he, too, moved toward the young spirit. "And you're going to feed him? Take him for walks, that sort of thing?" He tried unsuccessfully to keep the humor from his gruff voice. "I'd like to see you explain it to the vet when you take him in to have him fixed."

"That's the thing with tanuki," Akabayashi replied, easily dodging another blow from Shigaraki and cracking him hard in the arm with the metal of his cane. "You don't get 'em fixed. They need all the proper things in all the proper places, see. That's where they keep their luck."

Aozaki snorted. "A lot of men think they keep their luck in their balls. That don't make it true."

"Haven't you seen those statues, though? They've got _huge_ …." He began gesturing with one hand, but paused to lash out at the young tanuki again, this time striking him across the face, sending him to the ground with blood streaming down his cheek. "Well, anyway. Seems like they might actually be important, if we believe that kind of thing. We may as well keep him basically intact."

Stunned by the last blow, Shigaraki was slow to haul himself up again. He had just managed to get his knees under him when he felt the end of Akabayashi's cane under his chin, tipping his head up slightly.

"I'd stay down if I were you, pup," the red-haired man said, crouching beside the tanuki.

He knew that the man was right, but his pride would not let him give in so easily. With a growl, he spat at Akabayashi, splattering his glasses with saliva. As Shigaraki continued trying to regain his feet, Akabayashi sighed and removed his glasses. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping them clean. Lifting his eyes to Aozaki, he asked, "Would you mind?"

The large man's face split into a predatory grin. "I thought you'd never ask." Aozaki hauled the tanuki roughly to his feet by his two-toned hair, then dealt him a swift punch to the gut, bruising his ribs and knocking him cold. Releasing the spirit's hair, he allowed him to fall to an unceremonious heap on the ground. He took a step backward and felt something snap under his foot. Looking down, he saw Shigaraki's _shakujo_ , which had fallen to the ground after an earlier attack. Its haft was split where the large man had stepped on it. The tanuki's hat, which had flown off after Akabayashi's blow to his face, was sitting forgotten on the ground a short distance away, spattered with blood.

"And here I thought maybe you'd carry him for me," the redhead complained, grunting with effort as he stood, the unconscious tanuki thrown over his shoulder.

Aozaki laughed. "Nah. He's your pet, you can carry him."

"He's going to get blood on my suit."

"You should have thought of that before you split his face open, idiot."

The two continued their banter as they walked from the glade, heading back to the car that would return them to Tokyo.

* * *

Kokkuri ran as fast as he could back to the den he shared with Shigaraki. The kitsune had lost his parents a few seasons ago, so the tanuki had taken him in like a younger brother. Not far from their home, the fox knew that other spirits kept their own dens. If he could just find them…. In a panic, he ran through the trees, crying out for anyone nearby.

A tengu peered down from a nearby tree to gaze upon the noisy intruder in his domain. "What do you want, little furball?" he growled before yawning broadly. "Did you get separated from your tanuki friend while running through the woods?"

Tears welled in the kitsune's eyes again. "W-we were just p-p-playing, and then he said we had to… to come home because there were humans…."

The tengu sneered at the mention of humans. "What were they doing in these woods?"

"I d-don't… I don't know. But… 'Raki- _nii_ and I were in our human forms… and they… he… he left his tail out, and they saw it. He told me to come home, that he would distract them while I ran…." He sniffled pitifully, dabbing at his eyes with his paw.

The tengu hopped down from the tree. "Take me to them."

By the time they arrived, the trees had fallen silent again. Apart from the places where the ground had been disturbed by the fighting, or where tracks had been made coming and going, there was no sign of anyone there. Kokkuri returned to his human form to look around, thinking the added height might give him an advantage. Meanwhile, the tengu prowled the area, looking for additional signs of the humans.

As he completed his circuit of the grove, the tengu came upon the broken _shakujo_. He nudged it with his _geta_ , rattling the metal rings quietly. "Did this belong to the humans?" he asked, looking up to try to get the fox's attention. The young kitsune had found something of his own, however, and had sunk to his knees on the forest floor. "What is it?" the old bird asked, walking over to him.

Kokkuri's fingers trembled as he clutched the straw hat, his gaze fixed on the droplets of crimson blood that stood out in stark contrast with the normal golden color of the straw. "This is his…" he whispered, his breath hitching slightly in his chest. "This is Shigaraki's hat. He was wearing it when I left."

The tengu crouched beside him and sighed heavily. "It looks like the humans may have carried him off, then," he said quietly. "There's not much to be done. Let's get you home."

The kitsune's lip trembled. "But… but what about Shigaraki? I can't… I can't just leave without him. He's supposed to protect me."

The tengu grunted in response. "And he did. You're safe, and the humans are gone. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to sit around and mope about it. He would want you to live, to stand on your own feet and move forward. As for him…." He sighed. "He's probably hot pot by now."

Tears streamed down the kitsune's face as he and the tengu headed away from the scene. He clutched Shigaraki's hat in his hands as if his life depended on it. As he walked, he began telling himself that he would find the tanuki and bring him home. With each step he took, his resolve grew, to grow strong and rescue his big brother.

* * *

When Shigaraki awoke, he found he was lying on a hard, unforgiving surface that did nothing to relieve the ache of the many bruises from his fight with Akabayashi. He could hear activity around him, voices echoing almost as if they were in a cave. Opening his eyes groggily, he saw that he was in a cage with heavy bars. The cage was in a large, dimly-lit room, near a wall. There was nothing natural in this place, everything was cold metal and cement, and it smelled of the same strange smoke he had encountered in the woods. A pair of tall men walked up to the cage. One of them, the tanuki recognized as Aozaki. The other was unfamiliar.

"What's this?" the unfamiliar man asked, gesturing to the cage.

"You'll have to ask Akabayashi, Director."

The director sighed and rolled his shoulders slightly. "I'm asking you, Aozaki. What is this? Human trafficking is not a business I'm particularly keen to get into."

Aozaki ran a hand through his hair. "It's not business-related, Director," he replied at length. "I guess you could call him a souvenir of our trip to the country. Akabayashi calls him his pet."

The director's lip curled in distaste. "Is that so? I suppose he and I will have words. That's all, Aozaki."

The bear-like man bowed stiffly and left without another word. The director gave Shigaraki and the cage another lingering glance before turning and heading deeper into the shadows. He found Akabayashi a moment later, conversing with a few other members of the organization. The director cleared his throat to get the men's attention, and motioned for the redhead to join him. "A word, Akabayashi."

"Yeah, boss?" He walked over with his hands in his pockets, his cane hooked in the crook of one arm.

"I'll be blunt," the director said, keeping his voice low as he pinned the other man with a piercing glare. "I did not realize you had an interest in young boys."

Akabayashi choked, nearly dropping his cane. "W-what?" he croaked once he found his voice again. "Who says I do?"

The director's eye twitched slightly. "If you don't, explain _that_." He waved his hand toward the cage on the other side of the warehouse floor. "Aozaki says you're calling him your _pet_." He spat the word, his distaste evident in his expression.

The redhead's gaze settled on the tanuki, who had woken up and was looking around the warehouse with wide, wary eyes. "Ah, about that…" Akabayashi started, laughing nervously. The director arched an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "See, he's not actually a human kid…." When the director did not seem moved by these words, he added, "And it's not like I brought him here for anything… anything _weird_. I thought he'd be good luck, you know?"

Massaging the bridge of his nose, the director sighed again. "Explain. Start with that part about how he's not human. That should be interesting."

Akabayashi began walking toward the cage, taking his time to choose his words carefully. "Have you heard of tanuki, Director?" he asked at length.

"Those statues people keep outside of businesses, with the grotesquely large…?"

"Yes, those. This pup here," he said, rapping on the bars of the cage with the end of his cane as he stepped up next to it, "is a real one. A live one." Crouching beside the cage, he reached his cane through the bars and used it to lift Shigaraki's tail into view, despite the young spirit's best efforts to escape his reach. "See? Most human children don't have these, yeah?"

The director hummed thoughtfully, his lips curved into a frown. "And what were you planning to do with him, after bringing him here? It would be bad for business to leave him like this."

Akabayashi stood, tapping his cane against his shoulder as he thought. "I suppose I hadn't considered…"

"No, I suppose you hadn't," the director interrupted sharply. "If he's a dog, train him. If he's a beast, break him." He turned and began walking toward the door. Then, another thought coming to him, he called over his shoulder, "See that it's done quickly."

Running a hand through his hair, the redheaded yakuza sighed, looking over the tops of his glasses at Shigaraki, who crouched at the back of the cage with his hackles raised. "Geez. You're going to be more trouble than I expected, aren't you, pup? You'd better be worth it." Waving a few men over, he motioned to the cage. "Move this into that room." He nodded to a door a short distance away. "I've got some work to do." Taking off his jacket, he slung it over the back of a chair outside the room and rolled up his shirt sleeves.


	2. Chapter 2

Stepping into the small room, Akabayashi locked the door and then crouched beside the cage. "So, now, you and I are going to have a little bit of a chat," he said, his cane resting lightly against his shoulder. "First of all, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Akabayashi, okay? I own you now," he added with a predatory grin. "The sooner you learn that, the better it will be for you. It'll be a long and painful lesson, otherwise."

He paused, waiting to see if the tanuki would introduce himself in return. No response seemed forthcoming, however, as Shigaraki crouched at the back of the cage, watching the redhead with bright, wary eyes. If Akabayashi had to describe his posture, he would say it looked like he was waiting for a chance to spring, either to escape or to attack. After a moment, the yakuza grew bored with waiting and prodded the tanuki in the shoulder with the tip of his cane. "I had hoped you would answer this question without my needing to ask it, okay? What is your name, pup?"

Shigaraki moved as far away from Akabayashi as he could. Molding himself against the back of the cage, he narrowed his eyes and bared his fangs in a snarl. His name was something he only shared with his friends, and this red-haired human was certainly not one of those. Besides which, his pride demanded that he not give in to his captor, regardless of the circumstances. He vowed he would fight this captivity with whatever strength he could muster.

Akabayashi sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Now, I'm not a very patient man, all right? I'm not going to ask you again." He jabbed the tanuki in the shoulder again, his frown deepening as he waited for a response. Just as his lips were beginning to twitch, threatening to part in a snarl of his own, a knock came at the door. The redhead stood and straightened his suit. Opening the door a crack, he looked out into the warehouse. "What do you want?"

"Dinner," Aozaki replied gruffly from the other side of the door, thrusting a take-out container and a cheap pair of chopsticks at Akabayashi's chest. "Grabbed some for myself just now, and figured you might be hungry."

The redhead stepped back slightly to open the door a bit more, arching an eyebrow at the other yakuza. "That's surprisingly thoughtful of you."

Aozaki grunted in response. "You can pay me back later. Just take it, I've got work to do."

Akabayashi's lips curled into an amused smirk. "That's more like it. I was beginning to worry you'd hit your head or something, you know?" He grabbed the food, chuckling quietly as Aozaki turned and left without another word.

Opening the carton, the redhead found his mouth watering more than he wanted to admit at the sight of the steaming noodles. His stomach rumbled in approval, a sound that was echoed from the back of the cage a short distance away. Akabayashi closed the door and turned to crouch in front of the cage again. Setting the carton on the floor, he snapped apart the pair of chopsticks and looked at the tanuki over the lenses of his glasses. "Hungry, pup?" he asked, picking the food up again, and stirring it slightly.

Shigaraki tried to ignore the angry twisting of his stomach, he really did, but he had just woken up from hibernation recently, and his energy reserves were nearly gone. He had grabbed a snack before running out to play with Kokkuri, but that had been some time ago, and before that…. Biting his lip to keep from drooling, he gave a small nod, all of his senses focused on the food in the man's hand.

"Well, it's convenient that I have all this food, then. How about we make a deal, okay? You give me your name, and I give you some food." As if to punctuate the suggestion, he lifted the noodles to his lips, slurping them down loudly.

The tanuki's tongue ghosted over his lips and his neglected stomach growled appreciatively at the scent that wafted his way. Nevertheless, he resisted the urge to snatch at the container, choosing instead to remain huddled at the back of the cage.

Akabayashi stood and heaved a dramatic sigh, internally marveling at the young tanuki's stubborn determination. "That's really too bad, pup," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he turned away from the cage. "I thought we were having a moment. We could have had something. A connection, you know?" He slurped down some more noodles, watching the tanuki's reaction in the reflection on his glasses.

To his surprise, that reaction was to close his eyes and take deep, calming breaths. It looked almost like he was meditating. Suddenly, a puff of golden smoke engulfed the cage. The next thing Akabayashi knew, a small tanuki puppy was wriggling through the bars and scampering across the floor. Another puff of smoke spread through the room, obscuring his vision. Not knowing what to expect, he assumed a defensive stance. He felt something tug at the takeout carton in his hand before two more bursts of smoke exploded around him. By the time the air had cleared enough for him to see, the tanuki had returned to the cage, where he was happily wolfing down Akabayashi's dinner.

Looking down, the yakuza was startled to see the container he held turn into a leaf. He raised his head to look back at the tanuki, his mouth opening and closing a few times in shock. "You… you sneaky little bastard!" he said once he had found his words again. "How did you do that?"

Shigaraki stopped eating long enough to favor the redhead with a self-satisfied smirk before returning to the task at hand.

Akabayashi ran a hand through his hair and shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. "All right, pup. I'll give you this one. I shouldn't have been underestimating you. But if you want me to treat you like a person and not a pet, I need something else to call you, you know?"

The young tanuki eyed him warily, licking the last of the sauce from his lips. He could tell the man was pushing for his name again, but he supposed he had a point. Pursing his lips, he tugged on his tail in thought. Finally, turning to face the wall with a petulant huff, he muttered, "Shigaraki."

* * *

Returning to his den, Kokkuri retrieved a few things he thought he might need on an adventure (extra pairs of sandals, a couple of changes of clothes, some dried fish he had been saving), and wrapped everything up in a blanket. Once he had deemed himself ready, he slung the bundle over his shoulder and marched back out into the woods, striding through the underbrush with the confidence unique to the very young. When he arrived in the clearing where he and Shigaraki had been playing earlier, he retrieved the battered hat and broken _shakujo_ and added them to his belongings. Raising his nose to the sky, he sniffed the air, trying to find a hint as to which way the strangers had gone.

He caught a whiff of unfamiliar smoke and began walking in its direction, but felt silly when it led him to a patch of broken and battered foliage that he should have noticed to begin with. "Will I really be able to do this?" he asked himself in a hushed voice, clutching the blanket bundle to his chest as he walked. "I've never been so far from home without… without…." A quiet whimper escaped his throat before he choked it down, roughly wiping tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono. "No," he said firmly, determination glittering in his still-damp eyes. "I have to be strong. If I can't be as strong as _nii-san_ , I can't rescue him from the humans." Nodding resolutely to himself, he continued along the path Akabayashi and Aozaki had carved through the trees.

Trundling through the forest, the young kitsune did not realize how much time had passed until his stomach started grumbling at him. He settled down on a fallen log, a large, broad leaf shielding him from the sunlight that slanted through the canopy. After taking a couple of deep breaths and wiggling his feet, which he had only just noticed were aching something terrible, he spread out his pack and pulled out one of the pieces of dried fish.

Gnawing on the salty snack, Kokkuri repacked his few belongings and looked around himself at the quiet woods. He had been walking for some time, and did not recognize any of the landmarks around him as the trees still stretched on seemingly endlessly. There was no sign of the people he was following other than the trail they had left, which was growing progressively colder. Once everything was safely wrapped in his blanket again, the young fox jumped from the log and started on the trail again. He hoped to get to the bottom of this by bedtime, but he had never encountered humans before, so he really wasn't sure what to expect.

* * *

Akabayashi's lips split into a broad grin and he snickered quietly. "Really? That's your name? Shigaraki?"

The young tanuki glared at him over his shoulder, but did not dignify him with a response.

"Okay, look. Look." The redhead pulled out his phone and brought up a map. Pointing to a spot near Kyoto, he showed it to the caged nature spirit. "This place is called Shigaraki, okay? They're famous for making tanuki statues. It's just funny, you know?" Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he regarded Shigaraki, his long fingers rubbing his chin in thought.

"So, we're going to have to give you a name that will raise less eyebrows, all right?" he said at length, crouching beside the cage again. "I'll call you Shigeru. Um… Tanaka Shigeru. That's close enough to Shigaraki the tanuki, yeah?"

Shigaraki sighed and looked away again before giving a resigned nod. Being called by a human name made him feel like someone was rubbing his fur the wrong way, but he wasn't sure he had a choice. At least it was marginally better than having strangers throw around his proper name all over the place.

"All right, it's settled then," Akabayashi said, standing and pulling a cigarette and lighter from the chest pocket of his shirt. "Tanaka- _kun_ ," he continued as he lit up, pausing again to take a drag. "Now we get to go over the ground rules. Let's try to have fun, okay?"

The small room filled with the same strange smell the tanuki had noticed in the woods earlier, and he turned to look at the redhead again. Akabayashi was smiling wolfishly, smoke curling lazily from a white stick resting on his lip. Shigaraki shivered involuntarily as he felt the color drain from his face. It was like he was looking at the face of a demon. He wasn't sure what sort of "fun" the yakuza had in mind, but he was fairly certain that, whatever it was, he wanted no part of it.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time night started to fall, Kokkuri still had not found more of a sign of his missing friend than the rough path he had been following. None of the sights or smells around him were familiar now, and as the shadows deepened beneath the trees, the young fox began to grow nervous of trespassing on another spirit's territory.

Not long ago, when he and Shigaraki had been talking about exploring the woods, the older spirit had mentioned that some animals might find it less threatening to find a lone immature female in their territory than a lone immature male. He had suggested at that time that, should the kitsune find himself alone in a strange part of the woods at night, he might want to consider transforming into a female to help avoid confrontations. Of course, this would only work while he was young, the tanuki had cautioned him, as being caught alone and female when he was older would bring a host of problems of its own. The young fox wasn't really sure what his friend had meant by that, but he supposed it didn't really matter at the moment.

After a moment's concentration, Kokkuri found himself surrounded by a puff of silver smoke. He didn't feel all that much different, apart from the obvious physical alterations, but he noticed that his scent had changed, so he hoped that was enough. Continuing on through the darkening forest, he found a sheltered place between two boulders to spend the night. Opening up the bundle he carried, he made a pillow from his sandals and clothes, and covered himself with his blanket. The quiet hum of nighttime insects lulled him to sleep.

* * *

Akabayashi lit his third cigarette since entering the small room to work with the tanuki, using the nicotine as a means of ignoring the hunger that gnawed at him. He couldn't give that little shit the satisfaction of seeing him ask for more food, after all.

Shigaraki, for his part (or Shigeru, as he supposed he was now to be called), was nursing a black eye and a split lip, eyeing the redhead warily from his position atop the now open cage.

The yakuza glanced at him over the top of his dark glasses. "You've got spunk, you know? I like that in my underlings." He took a drag on the cigarette. "But what's more important to me is the ability and willingness to follow orders, okay? You're useless to me if you won't do what you're told."

The tanuki snorted, his tongue tracing gently over the swelling of his lip. "If I'm so useless to you, why not just get rid of me?"

His predatory grin returning, Akabayashi took another drag to keep from laughing. "You don't know what you're asking, Tanaka- _kun_. If we get rid of you, it's not by letting you go. We'd put you down, okay? Bury you." He watched the boy pale as realization hit him. "You must have some sense of self-preservation, right? So be a good kid and work with me. This is only as hard as you make it, all right?"

The older man paced the far end of the room lazily, like a big cat idly waiting for its prey to come just a _little_ bit closer. Except that his eyes wandered with him. As soon as his gaze shifted from the tanuki, he was off again, making a break for the door. Just as his fingertips brushed the metal of the doorknob, he felt the yakuza seize him firmly by the hair. Akabayashi easily lifted him off his feet and flung him ass over teakettle into the side of the cage, knocking the wind out of him. Dazed, and certain he could feel a lump forming on the back of his head, Shigaraki elected to stay lying down for a moment… at least until he caught his breath… and the room stopped spinning….

The cool metal of Akabayashi's cane nudged at the tanuki's chin until he looked up begrudgingly at the tall redhead. "I told you, Tanaka- _kun_ ," he said with a melodramatic sigh. "You're only making this harder for yourself, okay?"

Shigaraki would have glared, but it was hard enough just to keep his eyes focused at the moment. Groaning quietly, he tried to look away. The cane followed, though, and he soon found his head pinned against the bars of the cage, the metal tip pressing unkindly into the tender flesh of his throat.

"Just what were you expecting to happen when you got out of here, anyway?" Akabayashi asked, crouching beside the supine youth. "Those boys would be even less friendly than I am," he added with a slight nod toward the door. "Whether you like it or not, we own you now, okay? You may as well just accept it."

Shigaraki tried to growl, but the pressure from the cane tip turned it into a feeble choking sound instead. "I thought we agreed that I wasn't your pet," he managed to grit out, baring his teeth in what would have passed for a snarl if he had been able to narrow his eyes comfortably.

Akabayashi hummed in agreement, his expression softening very slightly at the edges. "We did. This is different, you know? The Awakusu-kai owns you now, just like they own me. You're part of the family, but you still have to follow the rules." He retracted the cane slightly and bounced it against his shoulder thoughtfully. "Let me put it differently, okay? As far as my boss is concerned, I am responsible for you. That means that if you fuck up, it reflects badly on me."

A mischievous glint appeared in the tanuki's eye despite his precarious situation, and a small smirk tugged the corners of his lips. "So, you're saying that if I don't follow the rules, _you'll_ get in trouble?"

"I suppose you could look at it that way," he replied, taking a drag on his cigarette. Tapping the ash from the end of the cigarette, he rose from the crouch to his full height in one fluid motion. "Bear in mind, though, Tanaka- _kun_ , that I don't take it particularly kindly when my underlings intentionally embarrass me." An involuntary shudder ran through Shigaraki at the sudden change in the redhead's tone. "There we go. That's a better expression. It looks like you're starting to understand your situation. So, Tanaka- _kun_." He took one last drag on the cigarette before grinding the spent butt under the toe of his shoe. "Do you remember the first rule?"

* * *

Kokkuri awoke with a shiver, dew having soaked through his blanket. Rosy light was just starting to filter through the trees, and the joyful cacophony of early morning rang out around him. Bundling up his few possessions again, he continued along the trail, glad that no one had confronted him about trespassing in their territory. As he walked, he spotted some berries growing next to the trail. Some had been disturbed by the blade that had hacked the path, but others were ripe – perfect for breakfast, the kitsune decided.

Before too much longer, the trees started to thin, and the young spirit picked up his pace, eager to come to the end of the trail. When he finally broke free of the forest into unobstructed daylight, however, he was disappointed to find that there was nothing there save for another winding path, this one made of smooth, black stone. Knowing that a path this unnatural must have been made by humans, Kokkuri took a moment to smooth his ears down into his hair until they vanished with a small puff of smoke. He repeated the process with his tail before beginning to walk along the road. If it was made by humans, he figured, it probably led to humans. Although he wasn't particularly keen on meeting any, he really did want to find Shigaraki, and he figured that had to involve humans at some point.

The day dragged on as Kokkuri followed the winding road. Because it cut through the forest, the scenery never changed, and now that the young fox could see the sun, it seemed to crawl across the sky. Shortly after the sun had passed its crest, he paused for another snack. He didn't have much fish left, but it was enough to settle his stomach before he continued on his way.

While the kitsune enjoyed his food, he heard a deep growling hum coming down the road behind him. He narrowed his eyes and watched the road, not wanting to be surprised by a predatory spirit. What came around the corner was not what he was expecting, though. It was a strange creature, with unblinking, glowing eyes, skin so smooth and shiny it almost looked wet, and four small, round legs that spun as it ran. The beast passed him, buffeting him with a gust of wind, and then slowed abruptly before coming to rest in the grass a short distance away.

Kokkuri watched the creature with wide, wary eyes, wondering what kind of demon it could be. A moment later, he was surprised when the beast's side suddenly burst open and a human woman stepped out from where its stomach should have been. She began walking over to him, but, noticing the suspicious look in his eyes, stopped short.

"Hello, young lady," the woman said, crouching down to bring herself closer to the fox's height. "What's your name?"

The kitsune opened his mouth to reply, but his voice stuck in his throat, swallowing all but the last syllable. He tried again, still struggling to process exactly what was going on, but he only got as far as the first syllable when the woman interrupted him with a friendly smile.

"Riko? What a cute name! What are you doing all the way out here by yourself, Riko- _chan_?"

He floundered for a moment, trying to figure out what he should do while also wondering why she was treating him like a little girl. "Um," he said at length, buying himself a little more time. Realization hit him suddenly. _Oh right. I turned into a girl last night before finding a place to sleep._ "I'm, uh." He worried the hem of his kimono with his fingers and willed himself to sound more like a girl. It wouldn't do for this human to see through his disguise. "I'm looking for my brother."

The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Your brother? Did he get lost in the woods, too? Your parents must be scared to death."

"No, he…." He paused, unsure how much he wanted to say, unsure what would make this woman go away and leave him to his search. "Some bad men took him, and…." Before he could stop them, tears were welling in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. "They smelled like smoke, and there was blood on his hat, and I just need to find him."

A quiet, horrified gasp escaped the woman's lips. "Oh, you poor thing! Do you know your home phone number? We should call your parents so they know that you're safe, at least."

Kokkuri didn't understand most of what the woman was saying, so he just shook his head. "My mother died last winter. My brother has been taking care of me." He scrubbed at his face with his sleeves, drying his tears as best he could.

"How sad…." The woman paused, looking stricken. "Well, I should… at the very least, I should call the police. It's not safe for you to be out here alone. Who knows what kind of animals might be out here…." Standing, she headed back toward her car. Reaching through the door, she withdrew her purse and pulled out her phone. As she dialed, she called back into the car, "Anri dear, please go sit with Riko. I think she could use some company."

* * *

"The first rule," Shigaraki replied, gingerly drawing himself into a more upright position against the side of the cage, "is that you make the rules." He grimaced as his head throbbed at the movement.

"Good, good. And the second rule?"

The tanuki sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his redheaded adversary. "I don't go anywhere unless you say I do."

"I'm glad to know you're capable of learning, Tanaka- _kun_ ," Akabayashi said, a quiet laugh hidden in his tone. His lips stretched into a lazy smirk. "Now, if you'll behave yourself, we can have someone take a look at that face of yours, okay?" He looked over the lenses of his glasses at his young charge. "Of course, you know what'll happen if you _don't_ behave."

At that, Shigaraki did roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, rule three. I get it, old man. Now be quiet and help me up."

"Tch. I see I still have to teach you to respect your elders," the yakuza replied with an eye roll of his own. At the same time, he held out his hand to pull Shigaraki to his feet.

They left the warehouse and slid into the back seat of a black sedan. Akabayashi gave quick directions to the driver, and then settled back against the seat. "Where are we going?" the young tanuki asked as he watched the city fly past the window.

"I told you already," the redhead replied, tapping his cane against his knee. "We're going to see someone who can take care of your face for you. A doctor, you know?"


	4. Chapter 4

The sedan pulled up in front of an unassuming apartment building. Akabayashi left the car first, and then stood on the curb to wait for the young tanuki. Shigaraki, for his part, frowned at the tall building. He had never encountered a "doctor" before, so he wasn't sure what to expect, but this place smelled more like a general living space than like any healing herbs he knew of. After sliding across the broad leather seat of the car, he stepped outside and looked around.

"So, this is where... doctors... are?" he asked, turning to look at the redheaded yakuza inquisitively. It was clear to the older man that the tanuki wasn't sure what a doctor was, much less what their workplace should look like.

" _The_ doctor," he corrected gently, pulling a pack of cigarettes from an interior pocket of his suit jacket. "This is where _the_ doctor _is_ , yes." After lighting a cigarette and taking his first drag, Akabayashi glanced over at Shigaraki, whose nose was wrinkled in distaste. "Something bothering you, Tanaka- _kun_?" he asked, smoke curling lazily from his lips as he spoke.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You keep setting those white sticks on fire and then sucking on them. It's weird."

A dry, grating chuckle rattled in the redhead's chest. "By now, it's more habit than anything, you know?" he replied at length, the end of the cigarette glowing hotly as he inhaled again. "Sometimes, I feel like it might help me relax, but right now…." He shrugged, then held the cigarette out to the boy. "Did you want to try it for yourself?"

The young tanuki paled, and he quickly shook his head. "It smells bad enough when it's over there. I don't want it over here."

Akabayashi shrugged again. "Suit yourself." Taking another few moments to finish the cigarette, he dropped the spent butt on the sidewalk, grinding it out under his toe. He then turned back to Shigaraki and motioned toward the door. "Shall we?"

The yakuza pressed a button beside the door, and then crossed his arms across his chest, apparently waiting for something. Shigaraki stood quietly behind his shoulder, wanting to run, but beginning to doubt that doing so would actually do him any good. A moment later, he jumped when a voice piped through the intercom.

" _Hello?"_

"Kishitani- _kun_ ," Akabayashi answered, the easy confidence of an apex predator clear in his relaxed tone. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

" _N-no! Of course not,"_ came the reply. _"I'll be right down."_

There was a quiet click from the intercom as it switched off again, and a moment later, thundering footsteps came rushing down the stairs just inside the door. A young man in a white jacket and thick-framed glasses pushed the door open.

"A-Akabayashi- _dono_ ," the young man said, offering a respectful bow before stepping back to hold the door for his guest. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Akabayashi acknowledged the bow with the barest of nods. "Good evening, Kishitani- _kun_." He reached back to drape a long arm over Shigaraki's shoulders, shepherding him forward toward the door. "I've got someone I'd like you to see to, okay?"

The young man opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, looking for words, but not finding them. The boy had bruises that resembled the ornate scrollwork on Akabayashi's cane, but he felt certain he didn't want to make accusations. At length, he tried again. "Got into a scuffle at school, did he?" His lips curled into a friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"He and I had a disagreement about how he fit into our organization," the taller man replied bluntly, his gaze taking on a dangerous light. The tanuki scoffed and rolled his eyes, earning him a cuff across the back of his head. "That's enough of your cheek, Tanaka- _kun,_ " Akabayashi growled before turning his attention back to the other young man. "So, Kishitani- _kun_ , can you fix it, or shall I take my business elsewhere?" he asked, lips curled into a humorless smile that was all teeth.

"A-ah, of course, Akabayashi- _dono_ ," the doctor replied, the color draining from his face. "Right this way." He stepped aside to allow them to more easily enter the building, and then led them to the stairs to the basement.

Once there, he unlocked a heavy door and showed them into a room was not terribly different than the room they had occupied in the warehouse, except that it was very brightly lit and, Shigaraki noted, it smelled unnaturally clean. In the center of the room was a high table, just large enough for a grown man to lay on, surrounded by various smaller tables containing metal instruments the uses of which the tanuki could not begin to guess, along with myriad bottles and containers full of unknown substances.

With a nervous frown, the nature spirit glanced up at the redhead. "Where are we?" A part of him wished his tail were out so he could fidget with the fur, but he wasn't in the mood to get in any more trouble at the moment, so he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot instead.

"This is the doctor's office, okay?" the yakuza replied, leaning his weight on the cane he now held in front him, both hands clasped loosely around the handle. "Go sit up on that table there so he can get a proper look at you."

His frown deepening, Shigaraki complied. After carefully washing his hands in a nearby sink, the doctor walked over to the table, as well.

"So, Tanaka- _kun_ , was it?" he asked, his bearing much more relaxed than it had been when he addressed Akabayashi. As he waited for the boy's reply, he began examining him, frowning at the number of bruises that littered his skin.

Shigaraki did not reply at first, trying to figure out how he felt about a stranger prodding him in odd places. When the doctor paused in his work to look at him inquisitively, though, sighed and answered. "Ah, yeah. Tanaka Shigar-… Shigeru."

"Nice to meet you, Tanaka- _kun_. Do you mind if I call you Shigeru?" The tanuki shook his head, and then winced slightly when the doctor shone a light in his eyes. "All right, Shigeru it is. My name is Dr. Kishitani, but you can call me Shinra." The doctor then turned to Akabayashi. "Well, it doesn't look like you gave him a concussion, so that's good. The cuts aren't very deep, either, so I should be able to tape them without too much trouble. He's going to have those shiners for a while, though, which might raise some eyebrows."

The tall redhead shrugged, not looking overly concerned. "We haven't gotten him set up with a school yet. I guess that'll just have to wait until his colors go back to normal now."

Shinra carefully taped shut the few cuts on Shigaraki's cheek and lip. When he finished, he handed the boy an ice pack to ease the swelling. Finally, he turned back to the yakuza, his hands resting on his hips. "Anything else you need, Akabayashi- _dono_?" he asked, trying to keep the disapproval from his voice.

"Yes, actually," the redhead replied. Shinra stifled a sigh. "I'd like to put a tracking chip in Tanaka- _kun_ so I can keep track of him if he runs off. Can you do that?"

"Well, I _can_ , but…"

"It will need to be in a location that wouldn't change much between a human and a dog, okay?"

"Wait, what? Why?"

Akabayashi drew himself up to his full height, resting his cane against his shoulder. Looking over at Shigaraki, he gave a small nod. "Show him."

The tanuki sighed and rolled his eyes, but a moment later, a puff of golden smoke enveloped the table. When it cleared, a small raccoon dog was seated in his place.

Shinra's jaw fell open in disbelief. "Wait, he's… but… you…" he stuttered, trying and failing to contain his excitement. "Is he… is he really a tanuki? You have to let me study him!"

"No."

"But…!" The doctor whirled around to see the older man regarding him very seriously, his lips drawn into a thin line. He blanched.

"I said no, Kishitani- _kun_ ," he repeated, any trace of amusement gone from his voice. "Now, can you set him up with a tracking chip or not? If you can, between the shoulders should work, I would think." He stepped over to the examination table and tapped Shigaraki's animal form between the shoulder blades with the tip of his cane. A moment later, another puff of smoke covered the area as the boy returned to his human form. The tip of the cane remained pressed lightly between his shoulders. "Just there."

"W-well, yes, I can, but I don't have the things I need…"

Akabayashi nodded, moving his cane to rest against his shoulder again. "How long until you can have them?"

The doctor looked up, seeming to do some calculations in his head. "A few days, maybe a week?"

"That would be satisfactory. I believe you have my number?" Shinra nodded. "Send me a message when you're ready. Do not call." The yakuza turned his attention back to Shigaraki, his stance relaxing appreciably. "Now that your face is taken care of, we've got other things to do, okay? Hop down now. We're going."

The tanuki risked another glance at the young doctor, noting with a frown the subtle scent of fear that wafted from him. He hesitated only a moment before sliding from the table to the tile floor of the "office." Akabayashi grabbed him by the back of his yukata and hauled him through the door and up the stairs.

Once he was alone, Shinra felt himself deflate, collapsing to the floor when his legs turned to liquid beneath him. He had been dangerously close to getting on the bad side of the Red Devil of Awakusu, a place he was certain he did not want to be. Now, he just needed some information if he was going to keep himself useful. He pulled the mobile from his pocket and dialed a familiar number with shaking fingers. "Hi, Izaya?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his voice even. "It's Shinra. I… I need your help."

* * *

Another of the car's doors opened, and a young girl stepped gingerly onto the grass at the side of the road. She looked to be about Kokkuri's age, and if the direction of her gaze meant anything, she was just as unsure about all of this as he was. As she walked over to the fox spirit, she ran her fingers nervously through her short black hair, tucking a strand behind her ear.

"Hi," she said quietly as she crouched beside him on the grass, looking more at the ground than at him.

"Hi," he replied almost as quietly, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.

A few minutes passed in silence while the girl twisted a few longer pieces of grass between her fingers. Chewing his lip slightly in thought, the young kitsune plucked a few blades of grass for himself and began braiding them into a sort of bracelet. He'd never made something like that for anyone other than himself or Shigaraki before, but… maybe this girl would like it, too. When he held the finished bracelet out to her a moment later, complete with a couple small spring flowers, she looked at him with wide eyes, the early afternoon sun glinting off the lenses of her glasses.

"Um. Thanks," she said at length, letting go of her own strand of twisted grass to delicately grasp the proffered bracelet, slipping it over her hand to hang loosely around her slender wrist.

"Sure," the fox replied with what he hoped was a friendly smile. "It doesn't feel like spring without grass chains."

The girl scooted closer to him, finally sitting down on the grass with her legs tucked under her. "Could you… do you think you could show me?" she asked, picking at another few blades of grass from a patch in front of her.

His smile widened at her shy request. "Okay." He plucked a few more long blades of grass and began showing her how to wind the plants around each other so they would stay in place, adding in a few flowers for color.

"Um. My name is Anri, by the way," the girl muttered quietly as she followed along with Kokkuri's braiding technique.

"My name is Ko… Riko," he replied, just barely catching himself. "It's nice to meet you," he added, trying to remember his manners.

Anri favored him with a shy smile. Just as she was about to reply, her mother strode quickly over to them.

"The police are on their way!" she announced, brandishing her phone as though to demonstrate her point. "They'll do what they can to search for your brother, Riko- _chan_ , and they'll also find a safe place for you to stay in the meantime."

She paused, looking between them. "Oh, what lovely little bracelets!" she said, bending to look at the grass chains in their hands. "Are you two getting along well?" Her exuberant expression clouded slightly. "I wish you could stay with us, but… I just don't think it would work out right now." Shaking her head, she forced a smile again. "Still, that doesn't mean you can't find some time to play together. And who knows? Maybe you'll even go to the same school!"

Kokkuri paused what he was doing, looking up at the woman with confusion plain in his gaze. "School?"

"Well, of course you'll need to go to school," Anri's mother replied, not realizing the source of the kitsune's confusion. "You're still quite young, after all. It wouldn't do for you to skip your education at this stage."

The young fox opened his mouth to reply with another question, but stopped when he saw another vehicle approaching, this one with colored lights flashing on its roof. He curiously watched the two people exit the car, both wearing matching clothes with shiny bits of metal attached to the front. "Sonohara Sayaka-san?" one of them asked, looking at Anri's mother.

"Yes, hello, officers. Thank you for coming out here," she replied, standing upright again, and bowing politely. "This is Riko- _chan_ ," she added, pointing to Kokkuri.

"Hello, young lady," one of the police officers said, taking off his hat as he crouched beside the girls on the grass. "I understand you're looking for your brother?"

The kitsune's ears perked at that, and he looked at the officer with bright, hopeful eyes. "Yes! Do you know where he is?"

The man's gaze softened, his smile turning apologetic. "No, not yet, but we're going to look for him. Would you like to come with us?" He held out his hand while the other officer opened the door to the back seat of their car.

Kokkuri drew back slightly, his suddenly wary gaze traveling quickly between the edge of the woods, Anri and her mother, and the car, as though judging his options for flight. Sensing his anxiety, Sayaka took a step over and rested her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's okay, Riko- _chan_. The police are here to help. If you go with them, they'll find you a safe place to stay while they look for your brother, and you can tell them all about him to make it easier for them to find him. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"

The young fox was starting to tremble slightly, not at all sure he wanted to get in the strange metal monster with these humans, but certain beyond doubt that he wanted to find Shigaraki. Swallowing his nerves as best he could, he nodded, the movement almost imperceptible. Reaching out with a shaking hand, she accepted the help of the police officer in rising to her feet, and followed him to the car. After they got him buckled into his seat, he could only watch as they left his forest and the trees receded from view.

" _I'm coming, 'Raki-_ nii _,"_ he thought as the drive stretched on, resolution settling in his chest.


End file.
